Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister talks about Bus Connects and last week he spoke about Ireland 2040. The Ireland 2040 plan failed to identify any key investments in rail infrastructure for the commuter towns. If we were serious about getting people off our roads and onto trains, where was the investment to show it? Yes, the Phoenix Park tunnel opened, and it is welcome, but it only operates at peak times. The Phoenix Park tunnel is evidence that when connectivity and an alternative to car use is provided, people will use it. However, we are not putting an alternative in place. There is no rail line to Navan. There are no increased services to Mullingar or Maynooth. There are no expanded park-and-ride facilities.

Earlier, my colleague, Deputy O'Callaghan, spoke about cycling and how it can help alleviate congestion. I must comment on the Minister's management of the cycling budget. In 2015, there was a cycling budget of almost €19 million. In 2016, when the Minister came into office, it fell to €10.5 million. In 2017, it fell to €6.9 million. That is at a time when the Minster could take policy decisions and when the number of people cycling in our capital city has doubled but he has almost halved the budget in those two years. That does not show any commitment to getting people out of their motor cars or using bikes. Why is that?

Last week, presentations were made at the Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport on traffic congestion in Galway. We heard from a witness who spoke about how real data can be used to make decisions. The possibility of adopting new technologies, such as Waze, was outlined. Waze was adopted in Boston.

Standardised internationally accepted metrics such as journey time should be used. AA Roadwatch reports every morning that traffic is slow or heavy. I never hear that it takes five or six minutes to get from one location to another. The technology that was introduced in Boston a number of years ago reduced congestion by 18%. Why are we not looking at that in Ireland for the here and now? Why are deliveries allowed to take place during peak hour traffic? Why can one see cars and skips parked in bus lanes when driving through Dublin city centre? Why is there no sense of free flow in the city centre?

Decisions can be taken here and now that will help those who rely on public transport. People are being robbed and their lives are being hijacked as they are forced to spend unnecessarily long periods in traffic and, frankly, the Minister does not get it.

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